Flying Buffalos

The following is an excerpt from Part One:

In an endeavor to alleviate prison overcrowding and mitigate budget deficits, legislation is introduced in Rhode Island to increase “good time” allocations. That’s a rewards program which reduces the length of a sentence based on points earned for the lack of infringements while incarcerated. Each month of “gold star” behavior results in one day being reduced from the overall term of imprisonment. The proposed policy decreases the amount of time served by some convicts by greater amounts.

The Brotherhood of Correctional Officers is in dire opposition to the earlier releases. They are not the least concerned how any of this might impinge on their excessive overtime hours, and their main concern is the safety of the public once the thugs are released—and buffalos can fly.

Since when is it the C/Os responsibility to decide when and for how long prisoners should, would, could be incarcerated? How long will their ridiculous reign of terror and abuse run rampant? When will it happen that punishment and pain are no longer theirs to determine and administer? Their function is to maintain care, custody, and control, within prescribed rational guidelines. That is what they are paid for. Nothing more. Nothing less.